Posted on 01/21/2012 3:58:56 PM PST by Dysart
Legendary former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is gravely ill and his family is rushing to State College to be by his side, his family has confirmed
According to Onward State, Paterno was taken off of a respirator earlier today. However, the Paterno family has not confirmed that report.
Facebook and Twitter are flooded with students and fans saying that they are praying for Joe and for the Paterno family.
“Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications,” spokesman Dan McGinn said in a brief statement Saturday to The Associated Press. “His doctors have now characterized his status as serious."
“His family will have no comment on the situation and asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at pennlive.com ...
Dang, wiki says he lasted a month, had a heart attack.
That obligation in many states can usually be satisfied with an anonymous call to the CPS authorities. They do record date and time as well as nature and specifics you give them. I would consider this the safest way thus protecting self and family. The CPS or whoever screen the calls and determine if they even want to go and investigate or not. A call to the authorities is not any gaurantee you will ever be taken serious.
Some Freepers have the notion that if you learn of abuse the Perp is automatically charged, locked up, and that's the end of it. That is not how it works. One consideration is the victim. Can the victim withstand giving testimony not once but many times as in appeal after appeal? Will the victim be too scared or intimidated? Will the victim be accurate each time. Then GOD help the witnesses who do come forward trying too help put a perp away because those persons lives are also fixing to be made hell by the defense.
You do not go into a court room and tell what you know or even what you want too say. Nor for that matter will you be allowed too tell the whole truth. You go on the stand and you will be allowed too tell only very narrow portions of what you know and are allowed too tell. While doing so the defense lawyer will try too twist what you say, make you look like a fool, liar, doing perjury, or say you have a dislike for the perp, you name it they can do it. This treatment is the same if you are a witness, a therapist working with the victim, or a private citizen trying too help the child. You loose your temper {the whole intent of the defense questioning} and you can face going too jail yourself for contempt of court.
The responsibility in this case should have been on the A.D. and the campus security shoulders to handle and see through. That is their job. In this case was the campus police actual state LEO's as they are in some states? You can not testify in court on hearsay either. If Joe didn't see the offenses himself there is little he could have done except tell his boss.
Now for the political realities of it. You have a university of which most are liberal ran. You even have college professors in certain fields even pushing for perverted relationships between perps and innocent kids as being normal. You have clubs on campus for gay and lesbian this and that. The Athletic Department generally does not produce the ones who run the university. IOW as far as the chain of command or who was in charge Joe was low man on the Totem Pole as too the ones the AD should have notified.
Had Joe went around saying hey this creep takes showers with naked little boys {an act he did not actually see but was only told about} Joe could have been sued for slander or defamation of character. Do you think the victim would have testified? What about the witness who did see it fearing hey perp can sue me also? Keep in mind that is civil court.
The AD and campus security and legal department with the knowledge given them by the coach it should have been their place to have handled this entire issue including investigations, depositions, procicution, and in the mean time obtaining restraining orders.
Sadly, being 85 and having lung cancer are putting the odds against him as well.
Thanks for the sanctimony. Don’t know what we’d do without you.
Keep on this, it seems our opinions are being shaped for us yet again.
Sanctimony, just did a search for exact definition:
Feigned piety or righteousness; hypocritical devoutness or high-mindedness.
affected or hypocritical holiness
So you think I’m also a pedophile enabler like Paterno, just pretending that I’m not?
Just because you tell someone something including an LEO or child protection service that does not mean you will ever see results. JOE WAS NOT THE WITNESS. His work meant spit on the matter in a court of law because he was not the witness. He was made a scapegoat for those who should have acted and it was in fact their job to investigate. Believe me you can not make people who investigate and prosecute these cases do their job. Nor do they even have too investigate fully what you tell them.
Someone with a functioning moral compass who knows there is a serial homosexual pedophile plying his perversion will keep going to higher authorities until something is done. If nothing can be done, such a person with a functioning moral compass will get the hell out of the company/organization/business and leave.
Not stay to protect career/ambitions etc and tolerate seeing the serial homosexual pedophile knowing that more boys are being victimized. Paterno could have done more. He did little and more and more boys were ruined.
I don’t care if he wasn’t a witness, he heard from a witness. He knew what was going on and he did his little duty and then kept on being an enabler.
No - I think you’re a self righteous asshole.
Self righteous definitions:
1. Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic.
2. Exhibiting pious self-assurance: self-righteous remarks.
convinced of one’s own righteousness especially in contrast with the actions and beliefs of others : narrow-mindedly moralistic
So I should fake it that I too have remained silent knowing a serial homosexual pedophile was raping boys, just like Paterno did?
In your mind I am obvious a much more evil human being than Paterno, who actually facilitated boys getting raped. Odd world you live in, in your mind.
Accusations are usually vetted as to being legitimate, rumors, crank calls, whatever, before even being investigated IF THEY GET INVESTIGATED AT ALL. That was told me from an agency investigating these type of matters. Joe told his boss and the campus POLICE was told. Joe too that extend did more than even the law required. THEY whom he told and not Joe were fully responsible for getting perp off campus and doing the investigations. That is why universities have those positions. It was THE ACTUAL WITNESSES legal obligation too notify LEO that is just common sense. Even they may not be taken serious. In the case of Joe you can not report hearsay {third party accusations} and seriouslly expect any results. Yes it stinks but that is the reality.
Paterno was told a lot worse act than just that Sandusky was “showering” with a boy.
The point I am making is that someone who cared more about the victims than about career, position, money, reputation, honor and so on would have done more. And if they still failed, they would leave. They would not be able to live with their conscience knowing that little boys were still being raped.
And the legal system stinks, and especially there. But no moral person could have stayed knowing what was going on. Yes, it would be a huge sacrifice. But life is full of tests, and Paterno failed some major tests. Of course the perp/s failed much worse.
But instead you came here posting purely negative comments. Either you were looking for an argument, or you have a compulsive need to position yourself as better than others. Sanctimonious? Self righteous? Perhaps people's mileage will vary on your actions. But are your comments those of an insensitive asshole? Unquestionably.
Dying makes saints out of people? Do tell.
So I am an asshole, but you’re a prince among men. Got it.
Did I claim that? Didn't think so, although you seem awfully good at building strawmen. Perhaps logic isn't your strong suit.
Regardless, most people have the social grace to refrain from negative comments before the body's cold. Not you, though. Says a lot about you, actually.
So I am an asshole, but you’re a prince among men. Got it.
Hey, I never claimed any supremacy. But at least you're half right in that statement.
While doing so the defense lawyer will try too twist what you say, make you look like a fool, liar, doing perjury, or say you have a dislike for the perp, you name it they can do it. This treatment is the same if you are a witness, a therapist working with the victim, or a private citizen trying too help the child. You loose your temper {the whole intent of the defense questioning} and you can face going too jail yourself for contempt of court.
If Joe had witnessed an act himself and not acted too the fullest extent of his abilities then yes he had major legal and moral issues if that were the case. Many work places have many rumors going around about others. 99% are usually false and started by spite or just trashy garbage gossip.
Sandusky should have also been under tight scrutiny as a foster parent. In most states that means required home visits from the state agency in charge of foster care. It also means extensive back ground check. So how did he get by that? What were they doing? Believe me they have the authority if they so desire to remove any foster kid from a foster home for something as simple as the foster parent not kissing an abusers royal behind if say the abuser is also a parent of the victims.
I've spent the time in court too see what really goes on. I've seen a detective so angry he walked out of court after getting in a verbal argument with a defense lawyer before court started in the case I was involved in.
I was put in a position I can't really talk about any specifics where I was trying to stop abuse and prevent the parents from ever again obtaining custody. Guilt was not even an issue as it was admitted. I was a foster parent and I know how the system works. I know it too the point of Contempt Of Court for trying to help the kids. In the case I was involved I was also witness too some of the abuses. Before the case was over and done after several appeals I was made out to be worse than the perps because I verbally lit into an attorney and a parent while on the stand. And in the case I was involved in the kids went back home.
IOW had Joe went where you wanted him too all you would be seeing would be headlines about coach Joe fired for perjury. You would not have ever heard Joe's side nor would he have been allowed too talk about it. Nor are you likely hearing all of his side of it now either.
You have an oddly calibrated moral compass. I don’t see how anyone could have continued working at that university, know about Sandusky’s ongoing and repeated pedophile rapes of boys. Just shrugging the shoulders and feeling helpless because of the good old boy network of enablers, and who knows maybe participants, and going about one’s business - I don’t see it. No, not at all.
It would have taken courage and the willingness to perhaps sacrifice job security, reputation, maybe friendships - but hey, that’s what life is for. To show what we’re made of.
I realize the legal system in many places (most?) stinks. I have personally see CPS lie, cops lie, and a child removed from a parent for no reason other than outright lies.
That said, a powerful man like Paterno, with several witnesses (two janitors were mentioned elsewhere as well), and rumors abounding - what Sandusky was doing was not a dark secret - could have done something. He chose to remain working there for years, knowing that Sandusky was raping boys. Paterno chose to stay. His choice.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.